INDIANAPOLIS – Coming off a hard-fought loss to a nationally-ranked team, the University of Indianapolis women's basketball team bounced back in the best way possible – with a blowout win over a longtime rival.
 
Playing under the lights at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time in program history, the Greyhounds (11-6, 5-2 GLVC) took control of their game against Saint Joseph's (7-10, 3-4 GLVC) early and never looked back. UIndy would lead by as many as 41 points on their way to an easy 83-44 win over the Pumas.
 
Junior Martha Burse had a game-high 20 points, with 17 of those points coming in the opening half. A total of 11 Greyhounds found their way onto the score sheet and the team shot 56.6 percent (30-for-53) from the floor, the fifth straight game the Hounds have connected on half of their field goals.
 
"I am so proud of these kids because we got better after a really tough loss," Head coach Kristin Drabyn told WICR after the game. "The resiliency of this squad is amazing. They wanted to get right back to work yesterday and it showed today. We were aggressive from the jump and we carried that with us throughout the game."
 
The Hounds wasted no time getting a jump on the competition, opening the game with 10 of the first 13 points. Burse had seven first quarter points and the Hounds went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to take a 21-10 lead after one.
 
Saint Joseph's would get within single digits with their first field goal of the second, but it was the last time that would happen on this night. UIndy's efficient offense knocked down 10-of-14 shots and the defense held the Pumas to just 3-for-12 from the floor in the second to open up a 44-21 lead at the break.
 
The halftime break did nothing to cool off the Greyhound offense as UIndy knocked down seven of nine third quarter field goals to break the game wide open. Six different Hounds scored in the quarter to make it 64-33 after three.
 
In the final quarter, the UIndy bench got their time to shine, accounting for 17 of the team's 19 points in over the final 10 minutes.  Most importantly, they were able to give the starting five some well-deserved rest and take advantage of their opportunity.
 
"To see kids step up and take advantage of their playing time is great," Drabyn noted. "This is the time of year where teams are dealing with some injuries and our bench gave us the chance to get our starters some rest tonight which was huge. They also went in and played well and going forward that's big for us."
 
UIndy matched their season-high with nine three-pointers and knocked down 14-of-15 shots at the line. Defensively, the Hounds stifled the Pumas all night long, limiting the visitors to 18-for-54 shooting and 6-for-21 from long range.
 
Paced by seven boards each from Burse and Nicole Anderson, the Hounds dominated on the glass to the tune of 41-21. UIndy took exception care of the ball all night, committing a season-low 11 turnovers.
 
With their three-game homestand in the books, the Hounds will gear up to head back out on the road for a pair of conference games. The first one comes this Thursday when UIndy heads to Lebanon, Mo. for a meeting with the McKendree Bearcats. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. central time.